Breeding

The southern population of the Tawny-throated Dotterel breeds mainly in southern Patagonia, where it is migratory, but its range also extends to the north and west into northwestern Argentina, the Antofagasta Region, and the puna in Chile, where it may be resident. However, the nesting records are scarce, especially in the northern part of its range, possibly due to the remoteness of the places it inhabits and the low density of its population. The subspecies pallidus, on the other hand, breeds only in northwestern Peru, where it remains year-round. Similar to other plovers, it nests on the ground in a scrape, where it lays 2–4 eggs. Chicks are precocial when they hatch, and are almost immediately able to walk and forage for themselves, relying on adults only for protection.

Argentina

Across much of its range in Argentina, nests and/or chicks have been recorded from September to December, including in Jujuy, Salta, Mendoza, Córdoba, Chubut, Neuquén, Río Negro, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego (48 de la Peña, M. R. (2016). Aves argentinas: descripción, comportamiento, reproducción y distribución. Charadriidae a Trochilidae. Comunicaciones del Museo Provincial de Ciencias Naturales “Florentino Ameghino” 20:154–158. Close ). In northwestern Argentina in the mountains (including parts of the provinces of Salta, Jujuy, and Catamarca), the breeding season extends from November to January (66 eBird (2024). eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org. Close ). Information about the breeding season and phenology of the populations of the pampas seems to be incomplete.

Bolivia

Further information would be needed, but it is likely that the Tawny-throated Dotterel breed in Bolivia during the austral summer. Herzog (110 Herzog, S. K. (2021). Birds of Bolivia updated species list (Version 15 July 2021). Asociacion Armonía, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Close ) considered the Tawny-throated Dotterel a resident that was "known/expected to breed in Bolivia," but breeding has not been confirmed.

Chile

The Tawny-throated Dotterel forms breeding pairs shortly after they arrive at their breeding grounds in Chile. The breeding season appears to vary according to latitude.

In the northern Andes of Chile, there are records of a nest with eggs and hatchlings in December from the puna of the Antofagasta region (67 Torres-Mura, J. C. (1993). Nidificación del chorlo de campo en los Andes del norte de Chile. Boletín Informativo. Unión de Ornitólogos de Chile 15:17–18. Close ), adults with young in February from the Salares de Surire (68 Vilina, Y. A., and J. L. Gonzalez (1998). The migration routes of the Tawny-throated Dotterel Oreopholus ruficollis in Chile: resolving a complex jigsaw puzzle. Wader Study Group Bulletin 87:59–65. Close ), and adult with young in November from Copaisa (Vásquez in eBird).

In the lowlands of the north-central region of Chile, nesting typically occurs between August and December (9 Goodall, J. D., A. W. Johnson, and R. A. Phillipi (1951). Las Aves de Chile: su Conocimiento y sus Costumbres. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close ), with breeding confirmed confirmed at the end of August and with records of nests with eggs and first chicks at the beginning of September in Chañaral (69 Vilina, Y., and S. Teillier (1990). The Tawny-throated Dotterel Oreopholus ruficollis in northern Chile. Wader Study Group Bulletin 60:32–33. Close ), Vallenar (68 Vilina, Y. A., and J. L. Gonzalez (1998). The migration routes of the Tawny-throated Dotterel Oreopholus ruficollis in Chile: resolving a complex jigsaw puzzle. Wader Study Group Bulletin 87:59–65. Close , 70 Kusch, A., and M. Marín (2002). Distribución del chorlo de campo, Oreopholus ruficollis (Wagler) (Charadriidae) en Chile. Anales del Instituto de la Patagonia 30:133–142. Close ), Huasco (71 Millie, W. R. (1938). Las aves del valle del Huasco y sus alrededores (provincia de Atacama). Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 42:181–205. Close ), La Higuera (Cuevas in eBird), and other egg records in October from Caseron, Copiapo (Cuevas in eBird). Further south, records on the Aconcagua coast show chicks present from September and October (5 Johnson, A. W. (1965). The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Volume 1. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close ).

For the southernmost population in Chile from the Magallanes Region, egg laying typically begins in October (9 Goodall, J. D., A. W. Johnson, and R. A. Phillipi (1951). Las Aves de Chile: su Conocimiento y sus Costumbres. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close ), with incubation records in November ( 18 Johnsgard, P. A. (1981). The Plovers, Sandpipers and Snipes of the World. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, USA, and London, UK. Close ) and a juvenile in December (18 Johnsgard, P. A. (1981). The Plovers, Sandpipers and Snipes of the World. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, USA, and London, UK. Close ) in "Isla Grande" (Tierra del Fuego).

Peru

The subspecies pallidus is considered a rare breeder, and typically breeds between July and January in the lowlands of northwestern Peru below 1,000 m (Peruaves). The subspecies ruficollis, which occurs in southern Peru, breeds between March and October in the coastal lowlands and highland Andean plains (72 Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O'Neill, and T. A. Parker (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Close ).

Selection Process

Information is needed.

Site Characteristics

Nests are located in small depressions on flat sandy or stony soils for most populations (6 Fjeldså, J., and N. Krabbe (1990). Birds of the High Andes: A Manual to the Birds of the Temperate Zone of the Andes and Patagonia, South America. Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, and Apollo Books, Copenhagen and Svendborg, Denmark. Close ). One description of the habitat around the nest from Antofagasta, Chile reported it as gentle hills with 20–40% shrub and grass cover. In Patagonia, there are also reports of nests on grassy fields (111 Philippi-Bañados, R. A., A. W. Johnson, J. D. Goodall, and F. Behn (1954). Notas sobre aves de Magallanes y Tierra del Fuego. Boletín del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural 26:1–63. Close ). One nest found by A. W. Johnson (5 Johnson, A. W. (1965). The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Volume 1. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close ), which had 4 eggs, was on top of a clump of tussock grass (18 Johnsgard, P. A. (1981). The Plovers, Sandpipers and Snipes of the World. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, USA, and London, UK. Close ).

Structure and Composition

Nests are depressions in the ground that are typically surrounded by small stones arranged in a circle around the depression, with the eggs deposited on sandy/bare ground (9 Goodall, J. D., A. W. Johnson, and R. A. Phillipi (1951). Las Aves de Chile: su Conocimiento y sus Costumbres. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close , 67 Torres-Mura, J. C. (1993). Nidificación del chorlo de campo en los Andes del norte de Chile. Boletín Informativo. Unión de Ornitólogos de Chile 15:17–18. Close , 69 Vilina, Y., and S. Teillier (1990). The Tawny-throated Dotterel Oreopholus ruficollis in northern Chile. Wader Study Group Bulletin 60:32–33. Close ). Occasionally, nests can have some branches on the rocky substrate (Cuevas, eBird), while in Patagonia, nests could be next to tall grass "coirón" (Festuca spp.; 111 Philippi-Bañados, R. A., A. W. Johnson, J. D. Goodall, and F. Behn (1954). Notas sobre aves de Magallanes y Tierra del Fuego. Boletín del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural 26:1–63. Close ).

Microclimate

Information is needed.

Reuse of Nests

Not documented, but unlikely.

Shape

The eggs are elliptical in shape and similar in appearance to those of other plover species

Size

Length, mean 43.4 ± 0.43 mm (n = 4; 9 Goodall, J. D., A. W. Johnson, and R. A. Phillipi (1951). Las Aves de Chile: su Conocimiento y sus Costumbres. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close ); 42 mm (18 Johnsgard, P. A. (1981). The Plovers, Sandpipers and Snipes of the World. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, USA, and London, UK. Close ). Width, mean 32.6 ± 0.23 mm (n = 4; 9 Goodall, J. D., A. W. Johnson, and R. A. Phillipi (1951). Las Aves de Chile: su Conocimiento y sus Costumbres. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close ); 31 mm (18 Johnsgard, P. A. (1981). The Plovers, Sandpipers and Snipes of the World. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, USA, and London, UK. Close ).

Mass

Estimated weight 20.8 g (Schönwetter 1963 in 18 Johnsgard, P. A. (1981). The Plovers, Sandpipers and Snipes of the World. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, USA, and London, UK. Close ).

Eggshell Thickness

Information is needed.

Color and Surface Texture

Eggs have a smooth surface and are light grayish-brown, with darker speckles and blotches that form a distinctive pattern (5 Johnson, A. W. (1965). The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Volume 1. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close , 67 Torres-Mura, J. C. (1993). Nidificación del chorlo de campo en los Andes del norte de Chile. Boletín Informativo. Unión de Ornitólogos de Chile 15:17–18. Close ).

Clutch Size

Ranges 2–4 eggs, but typically 4 eggs (5 Johnson, A. W. (1965). The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Volume 1. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close , 112 Maclean, G. L. (1972). Clutch size and evolution in the Charadrii. Auk 89:299–324. Close , 67 Torres-Mura, J. C. (1993). Nidificación del chorlo de campo en los Andes del norte de Chile. Boletín Informativo. Unión de Ornitólogos de Chile 15:17–18. Close ). The clutch size of the Tawny-throated Dotterel differs from many other plovers of the southern hemisphere, which typically lay smaller clutches (2–3 eggs) compared to many plovers in the northern hemisphere, which typically lay clutches of 4 eggs (5 Johnson, A. W. (1965). The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Volume 1. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close ). In his manuscript, McLean (112 Maclean, G. L. (1972). Clutch size and evolution in the Charadrii. Auk 89:299–324. Close ) proposed two hypotheses: “Either [Tawny-throated Dotterel] is a good charadriine plover that has retained the ancestral condition of 4 eggs (as may be the case with Charadrius cinctus of Australia), or it is the sole representative of an exclusively South American subfamily of the Charadriidae."

Egg Laying

Information is needed.

Information is needed.

Information is needed.

Condition at Hatching

Chicks are covered in brownish-yellow down and have a distinctive tawny striped with profuse fine black mottling on the head and back. In the subspecies pallidus the chicks are paler (6 Fjeldså, J., and N. Krabbe (1990). Birds of the High Andes: A Manual to the Birds of the Temperate Zone of the Andes and Patagonia, South America. Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, and Apollo Books, Copenhagen and Svendborg, Denmark. Close ).

Growth and Development

The first contour feathers to develop are those of the upper parts together with the wing coverts, giving a slight scaly appearance to the back, due to the fine light edge on the feathers. Information is needed on the rate of feather growth and weight gain.

Brooding

Information is needed.

Feeding

Unlikely, as chicks are able to forage for themselves shortly after hatching, but information is needed.

Nest Sanitation

Not documented.

Carrying of Eggs or Young

Information is needed, but unlikely.

Information is needed, but unlikely.

Information is needed, but unlikely.

The juveniles have no rufous or only show incipient rufous on the throat and on the sides, they have faintly scalloped upperparts, and a small abdominal patch and gray legs. Information needed on its growth and its association with parents or other young.

Information needed.